Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH2

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH2, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the FH2 (14MP) is relatively close but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and FH2 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was released within a month of the FH2 and they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-5 grades against the FH2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic FH2 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 has got outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Panasonic FH2 has sizing of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") and a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-5 against the FH2.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and FH2 is 58 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The graphic here will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and FH2.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH2 will render extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures far more aggressively.